Mid Sweden University

Acute hypoxic exposure impairs balance performance, but more investigations are needed about the long-term effects. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of 6 weeks balance training at normobaric hypoxia and normoxia in healthy ac-tive people. 12 males volunteered in a quasi-experimental research design study and were assigned into two groups of six in each. Both groups completed a six-week bal-ance intervention of 30-60 minutes three times a week. One group trained in hypoxia (HG) and the other in normoxia as a control group (CG). HG and CG did a pre and post intervention single leg balance test (SLBT) in both normobaric normoxia (~ 160-350 m) and hypoxia (~ 3770-4000 m). Oxygen saturation (Spo2), heart rate (HR) and he-moglobin (HB) were measured as well. Mixed analysis of variance (ANOVA) and paired sample t-tests were used for statistical analysis. The mixed ANOVA showed no significant three-way interaction between factors of time, conditions and groups for either non-dominant (ND) nor dominant leg (D). Neither were there a significant two-way interaction (time-conditions, time-groups, conditions-groups) for ND. For D how-ever, a significant two-way interaction between time-groups, F(1,10) = 5.623, p = .039 and between time-conditions existed, F(1,10) = 6.022, p = .034 but not between con-ditions-groups for D, F(1,10) = .304, p = .59. Findings support to some extent that balance performance is impaired by acute hypoxia. There was a superior long-term adaptation of balance training in hypoxia compared to normoxia. However, both train-ing interventions positively affected balance performance in normoxia.